The present invention relates to portable devices and, more particularly, to graphical user interfaces for touch-sensitive portable devices.
Many of today's computers and devices include a graphical user interface (“GUI”) through which a user can interact with the computer or device. A GUI can include various user interface elements, such as windows, scroll bars, buttons, pull-down menus, and so on. Most GUIs for computers use the concept of a desktop with windows in arbitrary user defined positions on the display screen. Since the desktop can get cluttered with windows, such GUIs also utilize the concept of modal windows where user attention and interaction can be focused. As recent devices such as tablet computers have started to use touch-sensitive displays, the notion of multiple windows manipulated and arranged by a user on a desktop becomes awkward. Most current GUIs for touch-sensitive displays use single window application interfaces, with an occasional modal dialog, in order to make user interaction manageable.